Devices for crimping metal capsules on grooved necks of flexible or rigid containers



April 11,1967

P J. L. CHELLE DEVICES FOR CRIMiING METAL CAPSULES 0N GROOVED NECKS 0F FLEXIBLE OR RIGID-CONTAINERS Filed Dec. .25, 1964 United States Patent 3,313,088 DEVICES FOR CRIMPING METAL CAPSULES ON GROOVE!) NECKS 0F FLEXIBLE 0R RIGID CONTAINERS Pierre Jean Louis Chelle, Creteil, France, assignor to Etablissements 'Chelle, Alfortville, France Filed Dec. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 420,701 Claims priority, application France, Jan. 8, 1964, 959,622, Patent 1,389,585 Claims. (Cl. 53-356) The different types of devices used heretofore for crimping metal capsules, such as aluminum capsules, onto grooved bottle necks, usually require the device to be applied with considerable force against the neck, and such devices comprise crimping members which leave irregular marks on the crimped capsules, thereby detracting from their eye-appeal. Moreover, due to this large force involved, such devices cannot be used for crimping metal capsules onto deeply grooved bottle necks without added complication.

In order to overcomethese disadvantages, the present invention has for main object to provide a device for crimping metal capsules onto grooved container necks, comprising a cylindrical body the lower end of which has an opening therein of diameter greater than that of the container neck and the rim of which has a conical surface tapering outwardly from said body, in which body is housed a spring which maintains, pressed beneath the flange of a central guide rendered adjustably rigid with said body, a hollow piston which can be moved downwardly by any convenient means and the lower part of which engages with the larger uninterrupted annular base of a frusto-conical ring of flexible material the remainder of which is divided by radial slits into flexible tongues which in their relaxed condition are spread apart and bear against said guide and which can be rendered mutually contiguous by the combined effect of the descending piston and said conical surface whereby to be level with and match the diameter of the crimping groove of said neck, which neck bears without force beneath said guide.

Thus, when the piston bearing the flexible-tongued ring descends, the tongues first meet the capsule positioned on the neck of the container. Because the outer diameter of said capsule is greater than the primitive diameter of the ring in its relaxed state, said tongues are spread apart and consequently provide a smoothing down effect as the ring descends over the capsule. This smoothing action stretches the metal of the capsule and thereby ensures better all-round contact of the latter with the neck when it is ultimately crimped at the end of the downward stroke of the piston through said frusto-conical surface constraining said tongues to penetrate into the crimping groove on the neck. It is to be noted that because the neck topped by its capsule bears without force beneath the stationary guide, it is not subjected to any substantial load along its axis, a feature which enables the subject device of the invention to be used for flexible and rigid containers alike.

The description which follows with reference to the accompanying non-limitative exemplary drawings will give a clear understanding of how the invention can be carried into practice.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view from below of a form of embodiment of the conical ring with flexible tongues utilized in the subject device of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section of FIG. 1 taken through the line II-II;

FIG. 3 shows a crimping device according to the invention in the relaxed condition;

FIG. 4 shows the device of FIG. 3 in the position for crimping a capsule onto a shallow-grooved container neck;

FIG. 5 is a fragmental view corresponding to FIG. 3, as applied to the case of a deep-grooved container neck; and

FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4, as applied to the case of a deep-grooved container neck.

Referring to the constructional form shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the crimping device thereof comprises a cylindrical body 1 provided with a top internal screw-thread 2 and with a bottom end-face 3 having formed therein a circular opening 4 of diameter greater than that of the container neck 5 onto which the capsule is to be crirnped, the rim of said opening having an outwardly tapering frusto-conic-al surface 6.

Housed in the body 1 is a spring 7 which maintains a hollow piston 8 pressed beneath the flange 9 of a central guide 10 which is rigidly united with said body 1 through its flange screwing into the tapped bore 2, whereby to adjust the position of the lower end of said guide for the purpose which will be indicated hereinafter. The hollow piston 8 is movable in the direction of the arrow F under the pressure exerted by a plate 11 which is rigid with a press, for example, and which transmits its downward motion to said piston through studs 12.

The hollow piston 8 has formed in its lower face a groove 13 into which is driven the larger uninterrupted annular base 14 of a frusto-conical ring made of a flexible material such as nylon, the remainder of the ring being divided by radial slits 15 into a plurality of flexible tongues 16 terminating, at the smaller base of said ring, in protrusions 17.

When said ring is in the relaxed condition, the inner diameter defined by the protrusions 17 is slightly less than the outer diameter of the capsule to be crimped onto the container neck, but when these tongues are rendered continguous, said diameter becomes equal to that of the crimping groove 18 of the neck. When the hollow piston 8 occupies the position shown in FIG. 3, the protrusions 17 bear against a frusto-conical portion 19 formed on the end of the central guide 10 and are spread apart slightly by this frnsto-conical portion.

The device hereinbefore described is utilized as follows:

The container equipped with its capsule 20 is brought to bear by any convenient means against the lower face of the guide 10, the latter having initially been adjusted by being screwed to the required extent into the body 1 so that the groove 18 is fetched level with the cone 6 whereby to obtain a pressure-free bearing contact. A force exerted in the direction of the arrow F is then applied to the plate 11 in order to cause the hollow piston 8/tongued ring 16 assembly to descend through the medium of the studs 12. During this downward motion, the ring first lifts off the cone 19 by constricting itself and is then spread anew by the capsule 20, the outer diameter of which is greater by 1 mm., say, than the primitive diameter of the ring in its relaxed condition. This spreading of the ring has a smoothing effect as the latter descends over the capsule, which in turn causes the capsule metal to be stretched and ensures improved allround contact during the crimping.

The flexible tongues 16 of the ring 15 then encounter the cone 6 when they come level with the groove 18 on the container neck. As the end of downward travel is reached, the cone 6 constrains the tongues 16 to penetrate into this groove and thereby crimp the capsule, this crimping being made extremely effective through the formation of a plurality of rib-forming folds resulting from the several gaps between the tongues (see FIG. 4). At this point, the tongues are contiguous and their jointly formed inner diameter level with the protrusions 17 matches the diameter of the bottom of the groove 18.

The presence of these several uniform rib-forming folds imparts increased strength to the crimping thereby obtained to enable it to withstand 'any internal pressure that may be developed in the container without it being necessary to increase the thickness of the metal used for the capsule. I

Reference is next had to FIGS. 5 and 6, in which like components to those of FIGS. 3 and 4 bear like reference numerals followed by the letter a. In this constructional form, the ring is provided with longer tongues 16a terminating in inwardly protruding portions 17a, and the hollow piston 8a is more distant from the terminal cone 19a of guide a. This arrangement is used for crimping capsules 20a over the necks of containers on which the crimping groove 18a is deeper. It should be noted once more than because the container neck 5a bears without pressure-loading against the underneath of the guide 10a, the liquid-filled container is not subjected to a distorting force.

What I claim is:

1. A device for crimping metal capsules on grooved container necks comprising, in combination, a cylindrical body the lower end of which has a circular opening therein of diameter greater than that of the container neck and the rim of which has a conical surface tapering outwardly from said body, a central cylindrical guide adjustably mounted within with said body and having a flange opposite the lower end of said body, a hollow piston slidably mounted on said guide within said body, means for displacing said piston, a spring interposed between the lower end of said body and said hollow piston for pressing the latter beneath the flange of said guide, a fiustoconical ring of flexible material the larger annular base of which is uninterrupted and is fixed on the lower part of said hollow piston while the remainder of said ring is divided by radial slits into several flexible tongues defining gaps between each other and which in their relaxed condition are spread apart and bear against said guide and which can be rendered mutually contiguous by the combined effect of the descending piston and of said conical surface, whereby to be level with and match the diameter of the crimping groove of said neck, which neck bears without force beneath said guide.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein said frustoconical ring of flexible material is made of nylon.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein the diameter jointly formed by the tips of the relaxed flexible tongues is slightlyless than the outer diameter of the capsule with which the container neck is to be fitted.

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein, in cases where capsules are to be crimped onto container necks with deep crimping grooves, said flexible tongues terminate in longer inwardly protruding portions and said central guide projects, in its inoperative condition, from the piston by a greater amount than when crimping capsules onto necks with shallower crimping grooves.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein the crimping obtained by its utilization is made highly eificient by the obtainment of a plurality of rib-like folds formed as a result of the several gaps between said tongues.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,954,737 4/1934 Kowal 53-351 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,181,824 1/1959 France.

FRANK E. BAILEY, Primary Examiner.

R. L. FARRIS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR CRIMPING METAL CAPSULES ON GROOVED CONTAINER NECKS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A CYLINDERICAL BODY THE LOWER END OF WHICH HAS A CIRCULAR OPENING THEREIN OF DIAMETER GREATER THAN THAT OF THE CONTAINER NECK AND THE RIM OF WHICH HAS A CONICAL SURFCE TAPERING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID BODY, A CENTRAL CYLINDRICAL GUIDE ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED WITHIN WITH SAID BODY AND HAVING A FLANGE OPPOSITE THE LOWER END OF SAID BODY, A HOLLOW PISTON SLIDABLY MOUNTED ON SAID GUIDE WITHIN SAID BODY, MEANS FOR DISPLACING SAID PISTON, A SPRING INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE LOWER END OF SAID BODY AND SAID HOLLOW PISTON FOR PRESSING THE LATTER BENEATH THE FLANGE OF SAID GUIDE, A FRUSTOCONICAL RING OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL THE LARGER ANNULAR BASE OF WHICH IS UNINTERRUPTED AND IS FIXED ON THE LOWER PART OF SAID HOLLOW PISTON WHILE THE REMAINDER OF SAID RING IS DIVIDED BY RADIAL SLITS INTO SEVERAL FLEXIBLE TONGUES DEFINING 